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E. L. DEMOREST.

O AUTOMATIC FLOOR FOR-ELEVATOR SHAFTS.

No. 259,105. Y Patented June 6, 1882.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELLEN L. DEMOREST, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC FL OORJFOR ELEVATOR-SHAFTS.

SPEGIFICATION fOIming part Of Letters Patent No. 259,105, dated. June 6, 1882.

' Application filed February 28, 1882. (No model.) d

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, ELLEN L. DEMOREST, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Automatic Floors for Elevator-Shafts, to prevent accidents by persons falling through the shaft, and also preventing the spread of fire by a draft, which floors are hereinafter fully, clearly, and exactly described, reference being made to the annexed drawings, forming a part of this specification.

Similar letters indicate similar parts.

My improvements are applicable to elevators having automatic attached or attachable floors which ascend and descend with the elevator, and which floors are suspended below the elevator as it ascends or rest in suitable bearings in the shaft as it descends.

My improvements consist, first, in connecting the automatic adjustable floors below the elevator together in such a manner as to dispense with continuous or double ropes, chains, cables, and pulleys, and thus overcome one of the chief difliculties which has heretofore existed in the practical use of elevators constructed'with automatic floors, as hereinafter set forth.

My improvements consist, secondly, in coilin g up automatically ropes, cords, or bands of leather, canvas, steel, or any other flexible material, which connect the automatic floors in such a manner that the bands, ropes, or connections cannot become entangled or be out or worn by friction, as hereinafter described.

When the elevator ascends the upper floors are carried up and accumulated on a platform on top of the elevator. When the elevator descends the lower floors accumulate on a platform at the bottom of the shaft.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 represents the elevator-shaft, the slides or grooves Fig. 2 represents an automatic hatch or floor automatic floors, one set being arranged above the elevator A and the other below. Heretofore in arranging or adjusting a set of movable floors or hatches below the elevator chains, ropes, or cables running from the top to the bottom of the building and connected with pulleys havebeen used. This method of adjust ment possesses many disadvantages, being cumbersome, dangerous, expensive, and easily disarranged.

My invention is designed to dispense with these continuous ropes, chains, cables, and pulleys and to connect adjustable or automatic floors together and to the bottom of the ele- Vator in a simple and direct manner.

In the drawings, B is an automatic adjustable floor or hatch, which may be made of any light suitable material.

In each corner of the hatch or floor B there is inserted a casing, which contains a coilspring, 0. To this coil-spring there is attached one end of the band I), which may be made of leather, canvas, steel, or any other flexible material, and the other end of the band is attached to the bottom of the elevator, as shown in Fig. 1. The coil-spring here described may consist of a continuous band of steel or other flexible material, as shown in the drawings.

This band and coil-spring are so constructed and arranged that as each floor below the elevator reaches in turn the platform at the bottom of the shaft the band D is wound up by the coil of the spring (J, and when the elevator ascends the bands are unwound and permit each automatic floor to rest or stop at its proper place at-each floor from the bottom to the top.

The construction and arrangement of the floors l3 and B are the same as above described, except that the bands which suspend B are connected to theunder side of B and the bands of B3 are connected to the under side of B as shown in Fig. 1.

This construction and arrangement may be repeated, according to the number of floors required, the bands of the lower floor being connected to the one directly above and the bands of the first floor underneath connected to the bottom of the elevator or the springs may be reversed and placed under the floors and the bands or cords attached to the floor below.

The floors or hatches above'the elevator may be connected with each other and at the top of the shaft in the manner above described.

I have also constructed and arranged upon the upper set of floors projections d (I, which may be hooks and sockets or seats in the shaft and floors at suitable distances from each other to allow successive floors to pass and rest at their proper places as the floors descend. On these projections, and also between the floors and on the platforms, 1 place springs or some elastic material to render the operation of the floors noiseless.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to secure is 1. The combination, with an elevator, of two 

